The seven-day trial heard the couple had a drunken row which started with Mr Parkinson blaming his wife for buying around 20 properties in Rutland that lost them money - something Parkinson said had upset her as it went back on a promise not to blame each other.

The pair had been losing £4,000 a month through the properties due to rising interest rates and flooding and they had been forced to live in a motor-home for a time.

But in recent months, the financial situation had improved and the couple had a £2,000-a-month profit.

Mr Parkinson suffered three stab wounds during the attack with the most severe wound entering his body below his left arm, fracturing a rib, puncturing his lung and damaging his aorta causing "catastrophic" blood loss from which he died in hospital.

Giving evidence to the jury, Parkinson said she never meant to hurt her husband and had brandished the knife at him during the row to try to "stop him in his tracks".

"We loved each other. I was proud of being his wife of 20 years. There was no way I wanted him seriously injured or dead. I will miss him for the rest of my life," she said.